Kenneth Joseph Watson

Bayfield resident Kenneth Joseph Watson died of arteriosclerotic disease Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, at his home. He was 66.

Mr. Watson was born to Eva and Kenneth Watson Sr. on Nov. 28, 1945, in Dayton, Ohio. His family soon moved to California, where his father taught at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. The family moved in 1952 to San Jose in Northern California, where Mr. Watson grew up and attended school.

After graduating from high school, Mr. Watson attended San Jose State University before enlisting in the Army and serving in the Special Forces. He was stationed in Panama, teaching jungle warfare to military personnel preparing to go to Vietnam.

While in Panama, he married his wife, Sherri, in the late 1960s. The marriage later ended in divorce.

After his military service, Mr. Watson returned to San Jose with his young family, where he worked and lived. He was in sales, with a product line of paints and chemicals.Mr. Watson enjoyed backpacking throughout the West, and on one of his journeys he “discovered his paradise” in Bayfield, his family said. He moved there in 1991.In addition to his love of nature, he was an avid reader and book collector, particularly science fiction.

Mr. Watson is survived by his daughter, Kimberley Watson of Pennsylvania; mother, Eva Watson of California; and brothers, Donald Watson of California and Gary Watson of Oregon.